Every year in Canada, approximately 40,000 people will experience an out of hospital sudden cardiac arrest, but currently less than 10% of people survive. Quick access to an automated external defibrillator (AED) paired with cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can dramatically increase their chances of survival.

Bill 141, the Defibrillator Registration and Public Access Act, is an important unanimously supported piece of legislation that will increase public-access to life-saving defibrillators and save more lives from sudden cardiac arrest!

This bill has been enacted and it will come into force on a day to be named by proclamation of the Lieutenant Governor. The legislation will enable the government to create a registry of publicly accessible automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and establish requirements relating to the installation, maintenance, testing and availability of defibrillators in designated locations. The legislation also requires that AEDs have appropriate signage, be accessible for easy identification, and be properly maintained.

During this session our experts will speak about what this legislation will mean for your business when it is enforced, and provide guidance to help ensure compliance with all aspects of Bill 141. You’ll also hear from a sudden cardiac arrest survivor about how her colleagues' quick actions and access to an AED saved her life.

About our Expert:

Deb Hennig, Action First Aid
Deb Hennig is president of Action First Aid (AFA), a leading Health & Safety company in Canada. For over 20 years, AFA has empowered people to take action, by delivering interactive and engaging First Aid, CPR and AED training. AFA has been trusted to implement and manage some of the largest AED programs in Canada and provide training to help customers develop cardiac safe environments.

Action First Aid is inspiring the SaveStation movement across Canada and beyond. Partnering with others in the AED industry, SaveStation is on a mission to save more lives from sudden cardiac arrest by increasing access, awareness and education for life-saving AEDs and making them publicly available 24/7.

It’s these experiences that inspired Deb to create AFA’s custom AED tracking tool to help companies manage all aspects of an AED program to ensure their AEDs are always ready for action.

Deb is passionate about making sure that everyone at a workplace feels confident to use these incredible devices and step in to take action during an emergency, because when cardiac arrest strikes, every second matters.

Katrysha Gellis, Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survivor & Partner Manager at Action First Aid
Katrysha Gellis is a CPR instructor and advocate for CPR and AED awareness. She works with Action First Aid supporting clients by providing education about life-saving automated external defibrillators.

Two weeks after her 30th birthday, Katrysha collapsed due to a sudden cardiac arrest. With no health issues, warning signs, or apparent reason, her heart simply stopped beating. Thankfully, two of her colleagues knew what to do in an emergency and ultimately saved her life. Inspired to pay it forward, Katrysha became certified as an instructor with the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada and began teaching CPR. Katrysha believes that everyone should feel confident to react in an emergency because they truly can save lives--she’s living proof. She is passionate about teaching life-saving skills and spreading the word about the importance of bystander CPR and public access to defibrillators.

Katrysha is a strong supporter of the SaveStation movement which aims to provide access, awareness and education about AEDs. She is also an ambassador for both the Heart & Stroke Foundation, dedicated to advocacy, education, and the funding of research surrounding heart disease and stroke, and for the Fondation Jacques-de Champlain, dedicated to improving resuscitation care and advancing medical research in the cardiovascular field. Katrysha is a member of the public engagement committee for Canadian Resuscitation Outcomes Consortium (CanROC), a research initiative designed to improve survival rates for people who go into cardiac arrest at home or in a public place outside of a hospital.

Katrysha holds a bachelor of commerce in marketing from the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa and has a professional background in account management, marketing and event planning.